Darwin Brewing Co. brews exclusive beer for Manatee Pride Festival

Valerie Fisher, Prism Youth Initiative board president, stirs grain with water at Darwin Brewing Co. with the help of lead Darwin Brewing Co. brewer Jorge Rosabal and brewer Antonio Hernandez. Eventually, the starches turn into fermentable sugar that will become the Manatee Pride beer, exclusive to the Manatee Pride Festival. Janelle O’Deajodea@bradenton.com

Valerie Fisher, Prism Youth Initiative board president, stirs grain with water at Darwin Brewing Co. with the help of lead Darwin Brewing Co. brewer Jorge Rosabal and brewer Antonio Hernandez. Eventually, the starches turn into fermentable sugar that will become the Manatee Pride beer, exclusive to the Manatee Pride Festival. Janelle O’Deajodea@bradenton.com

Bradenton

For the fourth annual Manatee Pride Festival, Darwin Brewing Co. general manager Matt Cornelius is proud to help in any way he can.

“A project like this is really cool because I have family members who are part of the LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender) community and it’s great to participate in giving that community a voice,” Cornelius said. “It’s cool to give them an exclusive beer and show that we are a small business that supports them.”

Cornelius, Darwin Brewing Co. lead brewer Jorge Rosabal, brewer Antonio Hernandez and several members of the Manatee Pride Festival’s organizing committee met on Monday to map out the beer’s flavors. The group decided on a light, crisp, refreshing lager with guava notes. Darwin hasn’t brewed a guava beer in more than a year, Cornelius said.

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“I’m not a beer drinker but that (fruit flavor) would make me want to try it,” Manatee Pride Festival committee member Mary Onna Bode said. “And because it will be at Pride, that makes me want to try it.”

“The first two years we were just worried about keeping the lights on and getting beer out,” Cornelius said. “And now that we’ve got our feet under us, a significant part of our focus is becoming a part of the Manatee County and Bradenton community.”